Key Takeaways:

• Dementia concerns everyone in society, and dementia-friendly communities have the power to change the way people think about dementia.
• There is a need to recognize the integral role caregivers play in dementia. More financial resources should be allocated for caregivers, who often have to balance work and caregiving, such as schemes providing paid family leave for those who live with people with dementia.
• At the grassroots level, the key is to identify champions who could provide positive impact and lead by example, showing that people with dementia also deserve meaningful social interaction.
• Translating scientific evidence is crucial in formulating effective practices, but optimizing such practices to ensure that they are addressing the local needs of people living in the communities is equally important. For that, collaboration between government entities and the local communities is indispensable.
• The issue of stigma persists. People are afraid to be diagnosed with dementia and are reluctant to speak about their condition. In order to alleviate such stigma, we can learn from past advocacy approaches taken with regard to other conditions like cancer. Such cross-disease collaboration may be a potential area for further investigation.
• As seen in the response to COVID-19, solidarity is also a keyword in tackling dementia. Solidarity among government and other sectors, regions, generations, and even internal solidarity within organizations is critical in making global activities concrete and operationalized.